Savior of the Wastes
by JacquelineTheRipper
Summary: A series of mostly unrelated short stories, showcasing the life of the Lone Wanderer and her friends. Some are based on in-game events, others are just things I could imagine her doing. Rated T for some language and typical post-apocalyptic violence. A bit of subtle LWxCharon pairing involved as well. Reviews are appreciated.
1. Storytime

The sun was just beginning to set as the Wasteland's strangest traveling trio walked into Moriarty's. Sylvia walked ahead of her companions, happily greeting her favorite bartender. Charon simply nodded. Dogmeat trotted in with his tongue lolling, making a beeline for Nova. She was always willing to give the mutt belly rubs while his owners were occupied. Said owners were currently preparing for a night of drinking. They had just gotten back from a very tiring trip, and the Vault girl was happy to have a nice break. Once she and her bodyguard were seated at the bar, Gob and his patrons gathered around the pair expectantly.

Sylvia raised an eyebrow as she sipped her scotch. "Guys...?"

"Got any good stories?" Billy Creel piped up.

"Oh." She toyed with her glass. "Well, I know I told one last time but I don't really-"

"Pfft, she ain't done nothin' cool enough to talk about," Jericho challenged.

And if there's one thing the Vault girl couldn't turn down, it's a challenge.

"There, my good sir, is where you're wrong," she replied, grinning lopsidedly. "Charon and I have done loads of awesome stuff- right?" she asked, nudging her friend.

"Define 'awesome'..."

The girl waved a hand flippantly. "Pfft, pessimist."

Charon indulged in a small smile. "Just tell them what we did today."

"Perfect! Okay guys, get comfortable. This is a long one..."


	2. Maggie

"Would you look at that?" the girl sighed dreamily, nearly drooling. She stared at the weapon longingly. A glinting .44 Magnum lay on the table before her. It was a special model called The Blackhawk, and dealt even more damage than a sniper rifle. Sylvia had been saving up the caps for days.

Charon stood beside her, admiring the gun with an appraising eye. "Yeah, it's pretty nice. But is it really worth 800 caps?" Flak had been kind enough to set it aside for her until she had the funds. Pricy, but today she had 903. Enough would be left over for lunch at Gary's Galley.

"To me it is. I _need_ it Charon." She practically skipped up to the shopkeeper. "I'm here for the Blackhawk. 800, like we said, right?"

What she hadn't been counting on was Shrapnel tending the store that day. He turned around to face her, a bored look on his face. "Hm? Oh, you must have been talking to Flak." He snorted derisively, shooting the girl a smirk. "That gun is worth _twice _that much at least. I couldn't part with it for that little."

Sylvia's face fell, her heart shattered. "W-what? But Flak said-"

"Well, Flak isn't here. 1600 is the new price, take it or leave it."

"I don't have that much..." She glared at him, there was no way she'd give up that easily. "He even saved it for me. Don't you guys work _together_? You can't just change the price like tha-"

"Actually, I can." The ex-slaver leaned forward threateningly. "Whose shop is this, Hm?" Sylvia was about to retort, but sighed. Angering Shrapnel wouldn't make him lower the price. Defeated, she turned and left without another word.

She didn't notice that her bodyguard stayed behind.

* * *

You see, Charon didn't appreciate it when people threatened his employer. He also discovered that the girl didn't look right being so dejected. Misery didn't fit her usually smiling face. In fact, the expression was so rare that Charon had just made this realization today. He wished he hadn't needed to, and the fact that the person responsible for it was standing right there gave him some satisfaction. A few minutes later, the ghoul located his employer once again. She hadn't gone far, just over to A Quick Fix for some Mentats.

Charon waited until she had paid for her purchase and turned to face him. She still looked disappointed, and it gave him another twinge of discomfort. He put on the closest thing to a smile he could manage, his hands behind his back. Sylvia looked at him questioningly. "What?"

He couldn't find the right thing to say, so Charon simply presented her with what he'd been hiding. The girl's frown slipped away and her eyes widened. She gingerly reached out to grasp the sleek wooden grip of the Blackhawk, unable to find the right words herself. Instead, she opted for a happy squeal and throwing her arms around a surprised Charon.

"You got it! How, that thing was killer expensive? Oh my gosh you are the best!" She rambled, caught up in her excitement.

Charon cleared his throat self-consciously, awkwardly hugging her back one-armed. The other was occupied with rubbing the back of his neck nervously, he hadn't expected such a reaction. "It was, uh nothing. I just...had a talk with him. Got him to lower the price." It was true, talking was all that he did. It was the content of the conversation, which _may _have included a few blatant threats, that convinced Shrapnel to be reasonable. "I'm glad you like it."

"I love it!" Charon was both relieved and a bit sad when she released him, but chuckled as she doted over her new weapon. "Ooh, I'm gonna name it Maggie."


	3. Training 101

"Paw. No, paw. _Paw. _Well, no, that's your nose, but good try. Here," She grasped Dogmeat's paw in her hand. "See, paw! Good boy! Now you try." Dogmeat stared at his master, panting, and slurped across her face.

Sylvia sputtered and sighed, shooting Charon a glare as he snorted. Seeing her look, he quickly tried to cover it with a cough. "Right. Dogmeat, give me your _paw_. Now," she picked up his paw once again, "paw. Good! Your turn."

The mutt tilted his head, and traipsed away to sniff Wadsworth. His failed trainer knelt there and slapped a hand to her face. Charon didn't try to hide his amusement this time. "Tell me again _why_ I wanted you to laugh more?" the girl grumbled.

"Hm. Let me try," he suggested bemusedly.

"Sure. Knock yourself out."

The ghoul whistled, and Dogmeat came running. "Sit." The dog sat. "Now, give me your paw." Without hesitation, Dogmeat placed his paw in Charon's open palm.

Sylvia threw her hands up in exasperation and went to get a Nuka Cola. When he was sure she was gone, Charon tossed Dogmeat the piece of Brahmin jerky from his other hand. "Good boy. I guess she's never trained a dog before."


	4. Out of Mercy

**This is one of those chapters that gives the story its Teen rating, it's not as lighthearted as the others. Just a fair warning. This is also one that occurs before Sylvia met Charon or Dogmeat, so she's on her own. Uh-oh.**

* * *

Unexpected occurrences were not unexpected in the Capitol Wasteland. The world was crazy, and weird happenings didn't throw its residents off very much. So when a woman frantically sprinted up to Sylvia, sobbing and babbling incoherently, the Vault girl went right into action.

"Miss, what's wrong? Please calm down, just tell me what it is." Soon, the stranger managed to steady her breathing and choke out a sentence.

"These raiders...they put a slave collar on me...it's going to explode! I don't want to die!" She pulled down the collar of her dress to display a blinking metal ring around her neck.

"I..." Sylvia blanched. "I know a little about explosives, but I've never disabled one of those before." She swallowed thickly, the woman's fear was contagious. "I could try if you'd like, but there's no guarantee that I'll-"

"I don't care! Please, just try..."

"Al-alright. Just...stay still." They both knelt down and Sylvia got to work. "So...tell me your name."

"Jane." The woman, Jane, shuddered occasionally, but didn't become hysterical again.

"It's nice to meet you, Jane. I'm Sylvia. Where are you from?" The Lone Wanderer hoped that the conversation would keep Jane calm and, most importantly, still. One slip and the wrong wire could be cut.

"Rivet City. I...I was going to Megaton. I've heard it's better there. Someone even disarmed the bomb."

"Oh that was- well, yes. They did." She was afraid to take credit, it could give the woman false hope. Surprisingly, the giant warhead was easier to disable than the collar. "They've got clean water for residents, and the people are nice. Tell you what, after this you can stay at my place. I've got a house there, with a spare bedroom I never use..." She was trying her hardest not to panic, but the confusing tangle of wires before her looked impossible to figure out.

Both women froze as they heard beeping. "No, nonono, I'm not finished yet!" Sylvia cried out in panic. Jane cried softly, standing up.

"It's okay. R-really, it's okay. Th-thank you for trying to-to..." She closed her eyes tightly and ran down the road. Five more seconds passed before the blast. Even from the distance she had run, some of Jane's blood flew onto her would-be savior's boots. Sylvia stood there for what felt like hours, staring at what remained of Jane. She finally managed to turn away, whispering a quiet, "I'm so sorry."

The girl trudged in the direction Jane had come from, feeling hollow. She found the raiders shortly. They were easy to pick off with her shotgun. One's leg was badly crippled, but he survived. He lay on the ground, clutching his shredded limb and howling in pain. Weaponless and alone. His look of horror and pleas to be spared had no effect on his attacker. For once, she had run out of mercy.


	5. Childhood Lessons

A twelve year old girl peered through the lense of a microscope, squinting her other eye shut to get a better view. She gasped, her head shooting up to beam at her father. " I saw them! They're all moving around and stuff, is that really what blood looks like?"

James smiled and nodded. "Yes, honey. Those are red blood cells. There are also white ones, they fight off unwanted microbes. The red ones carry oxygen throughout the body. Would you like to see skin, too?"

"Yeah! I wanna see everything!"

The doctor laughed and ruffled his daughter's hair. "And you will, honey. I'm glad you've got such an adventurous nature, most kids your age would be horrified by this."

The girl tilted her head. "Why's that? I think it's really cool."

"That's because while other people may find this disgusting, you see the good in it. There's something beautiful in everything, if you only give it a chance to show you." James knelt down to hug her. "You're open-minded, and for that I'm so proud of you. You would make a perfect scientist." He sighed and added in an undertone, "Your mother would be proud too." Standing, he switched the slide for a new one. "Take a look at this, it's from Stanley!"

"Ha, gross," little Sylvia giggled, leaning in to see.

* * *

Seven years and three months later, the same girl stepped uneasily into Moriarty's Saloon for the first time. Her eyes were still unused to the bright sunlight outiside, so she could barely see in the dim building. She could make out humanoid shapes by the bar, one standing behind it and the others on barstools. She took a vacant one, leaving space between herself and the other patrons. After a minute or so, her eyes were better adjusted, and she glanced upward.

The girl found herself face to face with the first ghoul she'd ever seen. With no prior knowledge of what a ghoul was, having only left the vault that day, she jumped back with a gasp. The stranger raised what was left of his eyebrows and jumped too, startled. "Oh, s-sorry. Are you okay...?" He eyed her skittishly. "Again, I'm, uh, I'm sorry..."

Still staring, his appearance reminded Sylvia of the zombies from horror movie holotapes. But zombies didn't talk, did they? She composed herself, feeling rather foolish. "No, no it's cool. Don't apologize, I'm sorry. I've just never seen...someone like you before." Looking at the bartender again, she was reminded of what her father had told her. She had to be honest with herself, this guy did...creep her out a little. But she could see her own fear reflected in his eyes, and felt a wave of guilt.

It couldn't hurt to be nice. To listen to her father, even if he had left her. Later, she was glad she did. Her small show of kindness led to her first friendship outside the vault.


	6. Replaced by a Mutt?

The girl shrieked with laughter, burying her face in the fluff around Dogmeat's neck. "You are too cute, you know that? Aw, stop!" The dog relentlessly sniffed her face, placing a lick across her cheek. He barked and wagged his tail, eliciting another giggle from his owner. The sight was heartwarming to watch. Well, for most people anyway.

A certain six foot ghoul watched vehemently. Sure, he usually looked angry. But right now his stare could burn through steel. "Keep it down, you look like a fool and you'll attract every raider in the area." He crossed his arms and glared from across the campfire. Yet his words went unheeded, and Sylvia continued babying her pet.

Although his advice was practical, it wasn't the true reason he was getting so annoyed. He was loathe to admit it, but a part of him was experiencing a spark of, dare he even think it, _jealousy._ Of a dog. It was completely ridiculous, but he couldn't deny the feeling.

The truth was, Sylvia had been the only person to ever show him so much compassion. Staring into the fire, Charon thought about how excited she'd been when he showed her the Blackhawk. So much that she hugged him, without even a hint of revulsion! That kind of thing was unheard of, even before his ghoulification people didn't like to touch him. They were either too afraid or saw him only as a slave. He'd never even known his family, there were no parents to show him any kindness.

Then suddenly this young girl crawls out of a vault and wants to be his friend. But ever since she found the mutt, her bodyguard was feeling somewhat neglected. He hated to be ignored, having dealt with it for over a century. His whole life was Hell until given a taste of paradise, only to have it taken away again. A bit melodramatic perhaps, but he was in no mood to care how his comparisons sounded.

It wasn't like he wanted to be treated like a dog. No, he'd had plenty of that before. But another hug wouldn't hurt...

_Stop it, you are being absurd. She's just excited to get a dog, let her have this. _

_...I'll give her a few days before I say anything._


	7. Let's Go Sunning

_~Pretty flowers need the sun, this applies to everyone.~_

"See, you heard the lady. Let's go!"

"I'm very busy right now, maybe later we can-"

"Then the fresh air will do you good! You need a break, you work too much. Please Dad?"

James sighed and looked helplessly at her pleading eyes. "Oh, alright. Madison should manage without me for a while."

"Great! Come on, or we might miss the sunset. And when night falls, I wanna show you all the constellations I've memorized. I knew those books in the vault were helpful..." She pulled him by the arm out of the rotunda, ignoring the quizzical look from Dr. Li.

Father and daughter spent their last day together before the Enclave arrived.

* * *

**And then the Enclave missed their flight so they never got there and Sylvia and her dad lived on happily ever after with Charon and Dogmeat and no one died *sobs***


	8. Med-X is a Hell of a Drug

The world was spinning in a magnificent ballet, up down and all around. She reached out a hand to the laughing faces above, joining them in their mirthful chirping. Where was she? Did it matter, when everything felt so good?

"I can feel eternity..." Swirls of color whirled in streams past her face, some of them colliding to fracture into a myriad of beauty.

Meanwhile, Charon was freaking the fuck out over whatever he may have done to his employer. She'd sustained a pretty bad injury during a fight. Her whole left side was a bloody mess, the result of a swipe from a Deathclaw. Her bodyguard almost panicked seeing her lifeless body laying in a pool of blood. He instead channeled that fear into anger towards the creature that caused it. The giant reptile was soon dead.

Ignoring his own injuries, Charon rushed over to Sylvia to observe the damage. He used nearly half their stimpacks, but her wound began to close. He knew she'd be in a lot of pain upon awaking, so he coupled it with three syringes of Med-X. His intentions were good, but little did he know this would be her first exposure to the drug.

As a result, such a large dose was causing the girl to completely _trip balls._ Dogmeat nosed her, whining, as she stared vacantly into the air. Her breathing was ragged yet steady, some consolation to her worried companions. Charon leaned against a rock, looking over his own scratches. Nothing was severe enough to require his immediate attention, so he resolved to watch his employer carefully until the chems wore off.

_Well, at least she's not in pain. _

_Don't even try to justify this, you idiot._

_I'm just saying it could be worse..._

Sylvia sat in dreamy silence, watching her universe in its cosmic dance of planets and suns, completely oblivious to her friend's inner argument. Oblivious to him and Dogmeat altogether, actually. Right now, all that mattered was flying through the Milky Way with beings made of stardust.


	9. Do Dogs Dream?

**Man, I've been on a roll tonight. Writing these has come so easy for some reason, when usually my creativity and motivation is really low. So if anyone does end up reading this, future updates will probably be sporadic and far apart. But, that's something to worry about later. Have another fluff-filled, cute story based on my own dog.**

* * *

Dogmeat's paws twitched in his sleep, catching Sylvia's attention. _What the heck is he doing?_ The dog's paws moved more rapidly now, little movements as though he were running. His ear pivoted around, and he made soft growling noises.

_He's dreaming..._she realized. This was just too cute for words. She stifled her noises of adoration so he wouldn't wake up. Carefully pulling herself off the floor, the girl rushed upstairs. "Charon!" She whispered. "You've gotta come see this!"

The ghoul glanced up from his book, looking vaguely annoyed. "Did you break something again?"

"What? No, it's Dogmeat. He's dreaming, it's so cute! He's all twitchy and stuff, he must be dreaming about swimming. Or chasing bloatflies, he loves hunting those-"

"Ah. I think I'll pass."

"Suit yourself, but you're missing out. ...Wait a minute, are you reading Shakespeare?"

Charon raised an eyebrow. "So what if I am?"

"Hey it's fine, I just thought it was cool. I didn't know you liked-" Dogmeat made yet another adorable noise. "Awww...well, enjoy the book." She tiptoed back down the stairs to watch her pet.

Charon stared at the doorway for a moment before returning to the story.


	10. Movie Night in Underworld

"Alrighty everyone, the folks at the vault were kind enough to lend us some of their movie holotapes. And this thing," she slung an arm over the old projector, "is still in pristine condition! Well, not quite pristine but...good enough. On with the movie. What first?"

A crowd of ghouls, some of which were old enough to have their favorite films from before the war, sat before Sylvia in Carol's place. An almost white sheet was being used as the projection site, hung over stacked chairs. Vault 101 had finally decided to take the previously-a-vault-dweller's advice and open up for trade. This meant Sylvia was free to go visit her friends, and make nice with the people who had once hated her.

Butch was even being nice to her! In fact, he was the reason she had the movies. Her statement about "lending" wasn't entirely true. In reality, Butch filched them from the media room with Sylvia's promise to bring them back.

"We can vote on the choices. Here we have Ghost, Titanic, The Great Gatsby, N-" Her face paled, and she stuffed the last tape deep into her bag. "That one's not very good...hehe right so..." She listed the rest of the films. In the end, The Wizard of Oz won out.

"Hm. I wanted to see The Godfather." Charon mumbled to her.

"Me too, but I thought it'd be nice to let them pick. We can watch that one at home," Sylvia assured him.

"So what was that one you put away?"

The girl's voice grew unusually high-pitched. "Oh, nothing. But I need to talk to that boy when we get back."

Apparently, Butch thought it would be funny to slip Night of the Living Dead into the pile.

* * *

**Oh, Butch. Being a dick as usual. But you could give him the benefit of the doubt here, he might not know about the whole ghouls-don't-like-being-compared-to-zombies thing. Anyway, this is the last story I'm posting for tonight. Frantic writing period done, for the time being.**


	11. Apology

Miss 101 was known for being a smooth talker. She could easily persuade her way out of a gunfight. But when it came to arguing with her friends, she was completely helpless.

The girl stormed through the door of her Megaton house and dashed into the kitchen. Snatching a Nuka Cola from the fridge, she sank against the wall. This wasn't the first time she'd argued with someone. But it was the first time she'd argued with _him_, and he seemed even angrier than usual. Once they'd finished exchanging snippy jabs and accusations, he had simply given her an icy glare and stalked off.

_Let him sulk, he'll be back._

_Right?_

For once, she was grateful for the binding contract they both despised. Early in their business relationship, the girl had promised to release him from her employment if he became unhappy working for her. Her original plan was to release him from the contract entirely, but that was apparently impossible.

_Would he really want to leave over one disagreement?_

_That was a pretty big 'disagreement'..._

She moaned in frustration, smacking herself in the forehead. "Why do I have to be such a stubborn jackass?" The easiest thing to do would be to find him and apologize.

_No, the easiest thing to do would be to sit here and wait for _him_ to apologize. But that isn't the right thing, is it?_

She could manage to swallow her pride. Steeling herself, she pushed off the floor and walked outside- right into Charon.

She froze, as did he. They both stared silently, looked away, until Sylvia finally spoke.

"I'm sorry for being a jerk."

The mercenary smiled and shook his head. "Me too."


	12. The Modern-Day Dashwood

"The Adventures of Sylvia 'Silvertongue' Serrano and her badass ghoul companion, Charon! Kicking ass and taking names across the Wastes!" The girl proclaimed the introduction with vigor, a bottle of vodka in her hand. "Think of it Charon! We're just like Dashwood and Argyle, the old man said so himself." It was true, on their last visit to Tenpenny Tower Herbert made the flattering comparison. "It's just a matter of time before we get our own radio show."

Charon rolled his eyes. "Sure, we're just like them. If Dashwood was the one cracking puns and one liners."

"And if Argyle was grumpier," the girl giggled. "But you are kinda like him, 'cause you do like wicked ninja moves." She gasped, eyes growing wide. "Could you rip someone's heart out? Oh I bet you could, that'd be so sick!" she chattered, making a claw with her fingers and grasping imaginary hearts.

"Yeah, okay. We're just like them. Now could you get off that table before you-"

*crash*

"-well nevermind. And you know, there is one difference."

"Whussat?" Sylvia asked from her slumped position on the floor.

"I don't think Dashwood was addicted to Mentats." Charon commented casually.

The girl glanced away guiltily, taking another swig of vodka. "Ahhh, whoops. Ehehehe..."

"You really thought I wouldn't notice?" he asked dryly.

"Maaaybe. ...I'll see Doctor Church before we leave tomorrow."

"See that you do."


	13. Masters Old and New

**I thought I'd try doing a first person POV story. Whose view it is should become obvious pretty quickly.**

* * *

I miss him sometimes. We used to go all over the place, and there were always new smells. I do that with my new Masters too, but the old Master was still nice. He knew just where to scratch, the bigger new Master hasn't gotten the hang of it yet. He's only a few inches too far to the left...

Old Master didn't get into as many fights. I thought that was a good thing, but it's actually more fun when there's danger. I get to protect the new Masters. When I make a kill, smaller Master says I'm "good boy". I like being good boy. Old Master didn't say that, he'd give head scratches, but those were nice too.

I wasn't a great fighter with old Master. My teeth and claws were sharp, but he never told me to attack anyone. Everyone was nice, since he knew how to hide from the bad people.

One day, bad people found us. I should have known, because they smelled like blood. But lots of people smell like blood, even the good ones. They killed old Master...and I killed them. Most of them. The last one had one of those sticks humans use instead of teeth. It hurt me, and I thought it was over.

But then the new Masters came along. They used their own sticks to kill the bad person. Smaller new Master made me better, but bigger new Master didn't seem to like me much. At first, I thought he was the Alpha and didn't want me taking over. But it turns out he listens to smaller Master. Eventually, bigger Master started petting me and even called me good boy! I loved old Master, and I liked our solitude. But now I'm part of a pack.

And that's nice too.


	14. Numb

**This one's pretty long, but it's got a lot of character development. It's also one of the more serious, feelsy ones. I'll make the next story happy again ;=;**

* * *

The world itself seemed to mourn James Serrano.

To his only remaining family, everything was bleak, dark, and miserable. She could normally pick out something beautiful among the barren landscape; a blackened tree twisting into the sky, an old car speckled with rust. Today, there was nothing to be found but despairing gray ruin.

He'd looked right at her as he died. Told her to run, placed his hand against the glass, and collapsed. Her mind was unable to function at that moment. She was numb. Sylvia vaguely remembered being pulled away into the tunnels. Charon kept trying to talk to her, but she was so deep within her own mind that she didn't notice until he'd already fallen silent.

She could recall Dr. Li shouting, grabbing stimpacks from her bag; being barely able to hold her gun, let alone shoot. She was partially revived by the sight of black Tesla Armor. Rage seethed within her, _they _all needed to die. Without uttering a single sound, the girl slaughtered every Enclave soldier she encountered.

Charon never told her, but that was the first time she had ever truly terrified him. Where had her compassionate, merciful nature gone? It was just the shock. Definitely shock. She'd be okay again.

The scientists finally reached the ladder leading to the surface. Sylvia stopped, at last saying something.

"All of you can go ahead. I'll meet up with you soon." Her voice was so low, it was nearly inaudible. Dr. Li began to protest, but a growl from Charon made her shut her mouth. The scientists left immediately, leaving only the girl and her bodyguard.

Charon looked at her apprehensively. He wasn't sure what would happen. She didn't cry, or scream, or do anything one would expect from a person in her position. Just sank against the wall and sat there.

Edging closer cautiously, he tried talking to her again. "Sylvia...?"

This time he was acknowledged. She raised her head but wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yes?"

Unsure of what to do, he sat down next to her. Ten more minutes passed before they joined the others at the Citadel.

* * *

Sylvia didn't feel much like getting the G.E.C.K. after that. Instead, they returned to Megaton for some rest. "We will get it, just...not yet," she sighed wearily. Charon nodded in response.

"Do you want to go see your bartender friend?" he suggested.

The girl thought it over, then smiled a little. It wasn't her normal smile, but it gave him some hope. "Yeah. That'd be nice."

So they went to Moriarty's, trying to avoid Simms on the way. Sylvia wasn't in the mood to be asked for more favors. As soon as she walked into the saloon and sat at the bar, she could tell Gob already knew what had happened. His face gave it all away. The girl's smile faltered. "I guess Three Dog spread the news?"

"Yeah, we heard about it this morning." The bartender set down the glass he'd been polishing. "I'm really sorry, kid. If there's anything I can do..."

Sylvia laughed hollowly. "The best thing you can do right now is just talk to me. Let's act like it didn't happen." Her smile returned. "A Nuka would be good too."

Gob looked relieved. "Sure thing." As he turned to retrieve the soda, the owner of the saloon decided to grace the room with his presence.

"Christ Gob, when will ya learn to shut yer damn mouth when yer working?" Colin stormed over to the counter and whapped the bartender upside the head. Sylvia made a noise akin to growling, something only Charon had done before. Colin turned to her with a smirk. "Ah, the Vault rat returns. It's a shame what happened to daddy, in't it? As if yer mum kicking it wasn't enough-"

The girl's shoulders trembled, and at first Charon thought she was crying. But what no one expected to hear was shrill, cackling laughter. This was the second time she terrified him. The noise went on for a full minute before she calmed down.

"Oh, Colin." She smiled, shaking her head. "You have _no idea._" She slammed her hands on the bar and stared into the man's eyes, still wearing a maniacal grin. "No _fucking _idea at all." With that, she left the bar, motioning for her bodyguard to follow. Charon was dumbstruck, and silently trudged after her.

* * *

He was rather concerned when they arrived at her house. All signs of her "joyful" outburst were gone, she was calm once again. The girl announced she needed sleep, and bid him goodnight.

_She's still in shock. I know she'll be back to normal eventually, this is just...her version of mourning._

Four hours later, Sylvia crept downstairs. As she had hoped, Charon was conked out on the couch. Crouching strealthily, she retrieved her silenced 10mm pistol, a Stealth Boy, and a single bullet from a locker. It was time she fulfilled her promise of freeing Gob and Nova.

* * *

Nova was the first to notice that Moriarty was missing. Some days, he'd sneak into her room early in the morning, before her customers arrived. This was not one of those days. Which was strange, as he seemed to favor the weekends. She knocked on his bedroom door when he didn't come out by opening time. This was also unusual, Colin was strangely punctual when it came to his business.

Upon receiving no answer, the woman opened his door enough to see inside. Colin was nowhere to be found. His room appeared untouched.

Most people assumed that he was scared off by Sylvia's display the previous night. Hardly anyone suspected that the kind, caring, do-gooder could have actually offed the bastard. And those who did quickly brushed off the idea. Sylvia was tough, maybe a bit hot-headed, but a murderer? No way. Simms was trusting, and respected her enough not to ask about the incident. He blamed her change of character at the bar on grief.

But Charon noticed her rarely used pistol in a new spot. He saw they were short one Stealth Boy. And he knew the girl better than anyone, knew that she really could be capable of such a thing. But only because it saved her friend, and because of the shock. It's just the shock.

"Morning."

If he wasn't so composed, he may have jumped. Turning his head to look at her, it was obvious the girl didn't get any sleep. The dark circles under her eyes were more pronounced than ever. "Good morning." He almost asked how she was, but realized it would be a pointless question. She was sure to lie. Instead, he opted for, "Breakfast?"

She sat gently on the couch, trying not to collapse into it. "Nah. Not hungry."

"Alright." Charon hesitated before coming to sit next to her, leaving a bit of distance between them. It was hard to gauge her mood, and he didn't want to chance messing anything up more. There was silence for a while, until-

"Charon?"

"Yes?"

"My dad's dead." Her voice was hollow, broken.

"I know." He added as an afterthought, "I'm sorry. I don't know if you remember, but I made you leave him. I understand if you're angry about it-"

He froze as Sylvia dropped her face into her hands and broke down. It was both heartbreaking and relieving, here was the girl he knew before. Her body was wracked with sobs, tears streaming through her fingers. Acting upon impulse, Charon pulled her to him and held her. She didn't resist, simply laid against his chest and cried until she could no more.

"He's gone," she whispered. "He's gone and it's all my fault. I let him die there, Dad I'm so sorry..."

"It's not your fault," he murmured, "There's nothing you could have done. It's okay now." He ran his fingers through her hair, it seemed to calm her down.

The girl sniffled, clutching his arms desperately. "O-okay. If you say it is, it has to be. You're always right."

He kept her there until she grew silent and her breathing was steady. Her eyelids began to droop, but she fought to keep them open. "Go ahead. You need to rest."

"Please don't leave me. I don't want to lose both of you, I can't..." she pleaded softly.

His throat felt tight, but he managed to reply. "I'll be here when you wake up."

A few minutes later, she was fast asleep.


	15. Man vs Machine

"You can't even hope to win this." The android smirked at the man across from him, his too-blue eyes betraying the fact that he wasn't human. His opponent said nothing, but a girl nearby sneered.

"Ha! I hope the defeat isn't too humiliating for you," she replied, motioning in a wide arc to the spectators.

The android chuckled darkly. "Let's get this over with." He grasped his opponent's hand and pushed. The man fought back, his arm trembling with the exertion. The android's strength was nearly twice that of the average man, but Charon was too determined to win.

With a burst of energy, he slammed Harkness' arm on the table. "Damn it," the chief sighed. The crowd cheered, Sylvia letting out a whoop. Harkness slid a bag of caps to the ghoul. "You really know how to arm wrestle."


	16. Love Letters

"Hey kid, I forgot to give you these last time you were in." Gob handed Sylvia a stack of letters. "I don't know who they're from, a different person brings them each time."

The girl raised an eyebrow, peering at the writing on the envelopes. _To my beloved. _"What the fu-oooh God no," she moaned. Apprehensively, she tore open the first one. As she read, her eyebrows rose higher and higher towards her hairline.

Her friends were intrigued. Charon subtly leaned over her shoulder to see, but Sylvia noticed and reddened. She quickly folded the letter and opened the next one, this time turning with her back to the wall. From the look on her face, this one must have been even worse. By the third, her horrified face greatly resembled a tomato.

"What is it?" Gob asked curiously. Sylvia returned the papers to their envelopes, making sure they were out of sight, before answering. "Well, it's uh..." She addressed Nova. "You remember how you told me I should try using my...assets more often?"

The redhead nodded, a knowing smile emerging on her face. "When you first came into town? Yeah, I remember."

"And you know that creepy Burke guy that I convinced not to blow up the bomb?"

"_That's _why he was here?!" Gob interjected. "Christ kid, why didn't you tell us? What if he comes back?"

The girl laughed nervously. "Oh he won't. You see, I didn't so much convince him to leave as...how would I put this..."

"Seduced him?" Nova asked slyly.

Sylvia seemed unable to look up from her feet, which was enough of an answer.

Charon's usually blank face even looked surprised. "So those letters are from him?"

"Yeah," Sylvia squeaked.

A smirk crossed his features, and the girl realized what he was planing too late. "Wait don't-!"

Her bodyguard, with the advantage of his faster reflexes, had the letters open in his hand before she could blink. The girl sighed as Nova and Gob crowded beside him to get a look.

_Beloved,  
I must beg your indulgence a little while longer. I am not yet able to send for you. Stay in Megaton. Once my business has concluded, I will send for you, and we will live happily as man and woman._

_The memory of your beauty and sweet aroma lingers in my memory...  
Have patience my love.  
Soon. Soon we shall be together once again!_

_Yours very truly,  
Burke_

Once finished with the first, they continued on to the next one.

_Beloved,  
The pain of your absence is at times crippling. But I must persevere. I must! It is very important work I am doing for mankind._

_Oh, but I wish I could sweep it all away to be with you now!  
Be patient love. I will send for you soon  
Yours very truly,_

_Burke_

By this point Sylvia had her face buried in her hands.

_Beloved,  
The pain of our separation is unbearable. I miss you terribly._

_I cherish the memory of our brief time together.  
Send me a letter, won't you? Send it to Tenpenny Tower. They'll be sure to get it to me.  
Oh, be patient a little while longer, my little song bird. Soon we will be free of our cages, and our love will soar to the heavens above!_

_Yours very truly,  
Burke_

Everyone was silent, until Gob snorted. The three erupted into laughter while Sylvia glared at them venomously. "You really got in his head, sugar," Nova choked out through her giggles. "I'm impressed, really."

"He's such a creep!" Sylvia grumbled. "I didn't think he'd go this far."

"So," Charon began. "Are you going to write back, song bird?"

Her only response was to tear all three letters to shreds.


	17. Thunderstruck

Streaked in blood, not all of it her own, the Vault girl triumphantly surveyed the remains of their battle. Dogmeat lay on the ground near her feet. He appeared to be gnawing on an arm. For hours, the Wasteland's best trio of adventurers had been shooting, exploding, and otherwise maiming the Super Mutants in the Mall. The trenches were now clear, as they should be. "All those Brotherhood guys _right there _at the Washington Memorial, and they don't even bother to help," Sylvia sighed. When asked, the Knights had said they were too preoccupied with guarding the tower. "Guarding it from what, the Super Mutants we're trying to kill?" she'd growled in frustration. The men just laughed.

Charon walked up behind her, reloading his shotgun. "I think we did well enough without them anyway." He glanced towards the clouds, something there catching his eye. "Huh..."

"What?"

"That's strange. This usually doesn't happen 'til April or so."

Sylvia's face was blank. "What?"

"Oh, that's right." The bodyguard smirked. "This will be your first thunderstorm, won't it?"

"Wait, what?" The girl blinked. "I didn't think it rained out here."

"It does, but rarely. Only about once a year." He squinted at the sky again. "It's early this time."

The girl now noticed how dark the clouds were, and that the wind was picking up. In the distance, she could see what looked like a sheet of gray cutting trough the air.

"We should head inside," Charon suggested.

"Are you kidding? No way! I wanna see this!" The girl bounced in enthusiasm.

"You're going to get soaked," he warned her. "And it gets pretty loud."

"Pfft, okay, sure. I'm _really_ worried about _water._"

"Suit yourself, I'm going. Try not to get struck by lightning." Charon turned and headed into Underworld, leaving the fascinated girl awaiting the rain.

* * *

"Oh, hello. Is Sylvia with you?" Quinn peered around Charon to look for the girl, the bodyguard's massive height often blocked her.

"No, she decided to stay outside. In the rain." He rolled his eyes. "I'll give her ten minutes before she gets sick of it," he grumbled.

Quinn couldn't help but laugh. "Knowing that kid, she'll stay out there all day for 'scientific observation'." He wasn't completely wrong, at that moment the girl was noting all the details she could about appearance of the clouds, wind speed, direction of the rain, size of the drops, and comparing it to what she'd known. The little nerd.

"Hm. I wonder how she'll react to the thunder?" His prediction about ten minutes was close. In twelve, a dripping Sylvia returned. Dogmeat trailed behind her. Once inside, the dog shook himself off and sprayed more droplets all over his owner. Winthrop, standing nearby, sighed and mumbled something about "extra mopping". The girl walked excitedly up to her bodyguard, unable to suppress shivers.

"W-wow, you were right. Really wet. But d-definitely worth it, I got all sorts of data-" A clap of thunder made her squeak, the sound seeming even louder as it echoed off the walls. "B-but I don't like thunder. Lightning's cool though. If it's far away."

Charon tried to suppress a grin at her sopping hair, plastered to her head. "I'm glad you had fun then. But you'd better not get sick," he chided. "Come on, I'm sure Carol's got some towels."


	18. Target Practice

A laser whizzed past its intended target, missing by a fraction of an inch. "Shit."

"It's okay, just try again."

The girl pulled the trigger of her laser rifle once more. This time, the training dummy was hit straight where its heart would be. "Well done," Sarah nodded in approval. "Again."

She had found out that the Vault girl wasn't great with energy weapons. Preferring a nice shotgun or repeater, Sylvia was unused to things that didn't use bullets. Sentinel Lyons figured she could help with this. They stood in the training yard of the Citadel; a few Initiates hung around to watch.

Sylvia took another shot, this one finding its mark in the target's eye. "Much better than before. Think you're ready for this?" Sarah held up a plasma rifle.

"And make things into goo?" The other girl grinned. "Oh yes."

"Alright. But watch out for the kickback," the Sentinel warned.

"I got this." Squinting in concentration, Sylvia took aim. The resulting shot knocked her flat on her ass.

Sarah nearly fell on her own from laughter.


	19. A Reminder

_Chains are earned._

They had been cruel. But they were far above him, higher than he could ever hope to reach. From their lofty position, they had total control over the boy cowering in the dirt. Whatever they threw at him, he had to take. He knew that, somehow, he deserved this. They had made it quite clear that this was punishment. For what, he couldn't say, but there was no questioning them.

_Failure is not an option._

The mantras he and his peers were to live by flashed through his mind each day. It would not do to forget them, lest he be punished for it once more. He had seen what happened to those who forgot one too many times. He wouldn't be one of those, they were weak.

_Your life is worthless._

If his existence meant nothing, then why didn't they just kill him already? With every passing day, he began to think of death as a better alternative. They could do whatever they wished with his pathetic being, and would not hold back. Especially when he failed. It was hard to perform his best after days of exhaustion and hunger, but he would prevail anyway.

_If you fail to succeed at any given task, you will be punished._

He was excelling at every subject they taught him, determined to be the best. But he slips up, makes a mistake that he didn't see coming. They shake their heads in disappointment, he had been doing so well. He suppresses shudders as they lead him to the room stained with blood.

_And above all, you must obey the holder of your contract._

The one time he disobeys an order. He didn't know what prompted this; never before had he even dreamt of such an act of defiance. His employer looks shocked, turning into rage. Fortunately, the employer is not allowed to punish him. But there are others who can. They come for him once again, and he is led to the room. _No, I'm not supposed to come back here! Not again, please not again, I won't disobey, I won't fail! _His mind races in panic, but not a sound escapes him as they close the door.

* * *

He awakes with a start, breathing heavily. A small groan emits from his left. "Charon?" The girl lifts her head and blinks sleepily. "You okay?" He can see her concerned face by the dim, artificial lighting of the Metro. Suddenly, the maintenance room they'd taken shelter in feels much too small.

With decades of practice, he nods and lies through his teeth. "I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

But Sylvia knows him better than that. She takes his trembling hand in her own and gives an encouraging smile.

Letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, Charon takes his free arm and wraps it around her. _They_ were dead, and he was safe now. Sometimes, he just needed her to remind him.


	20. An Exceptionally Annoying Escort Trip

Little Lamplight was easy enough to find. Getting in, however, was harder than Sylvia had expected.

"Not one step further, Mungo, or I'll blow your fuckin' head off!"

The girl blinked and turned towards Charon. "Is that a kid...?"

The mercenary nodded. "Looks like it. An annoying one too."

"Hey assholes! I can still hear you. Now what do you want?" The boy brandished his assault rifle with a glare.

The Vault girl put on her best smile. "Hold on, we're friends. We just want to-"

"Yeah, _sure_," the boy scoffed. "I don't have any big friends, and you're big, so get lost!"

"We just want to get to Vault 87. Do you know where it is?"

"Course I do. It's just through Little Lamplight, which you're not getting into."

The girl's smile faltered, but she wasn't finished yet. "Look, you can trust us. We're nice. And I promise we won't cause any trouble."

"Hmm...alright. You seem okay for Mungos. Make any wrong moves and I'll shoot both of you, got it?" He grinned down at Dogmeat. "But we'll keep your dog."

Dogmeat huffed in indignation, _as if _he'd ever stay with his Master's killers. Yet the boy took it as an affirmative and smirked, opening the gate. The moment they were through, he stopped them again. "I'm MacCready, the Mayor around here. So I'm in charge, no matter what Princess tells you. Thinks she's so tough," he muttered. More children inside were gathered around a teenage boy. A party hat was perched jauntily on his head, contrasting with his melancholy expression.

"Hey Sticky!" A girl nearby called. "Happy birthday. Hope you have fun in Bigtown."

"Yeah, time for you to go," chirped another.

"Aw come on, guys. I don't want to leave yet..." The boy, Sticky apparently, pleaded, but the others ushered him towards the gates.

"You know the rules. Now bye!"

Sighing, Sticky trudged away until he spotted Sylvia. "Hey, you're big. Why are you here?" Before she could even open her mouth, she was bombarded with more questions. "Oh! You're a traveler, aren't you? You've got big guns and armor and everything. Could you take me to Bigtown? I don't want to go alone, and I've never been there. Please?"

The girl gaped for a few seconds, before shaking her head. "Wait, why do you have to go there anyway? They can't just kick you out! And on your birthday too."

"No, that's just the way it is. We have to leave when we get too old. No Mungos allowed." He squinted at her suspiciously. "So I don't know why you're here."

"I need to go to Vault 87. Sorry, I'm kind of busy..."

"Aw, please? Can't you go to Bigtown, it won't take long. I really really _really_ don't want to go by myself."

Sylvia sighed and looked to her partner. He shrugged apathetically. Even if he suggested otherwise, his employer had a difficult time turning down people in need. Swiveling her gaze back to Sticky's hopeful eyes, she nodded. "Okay. But you're going to need a weapon."

* * *

_Oh this is just dandy. What have I gotten myself into?_

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Sticky. If we were there, we'd be there."

"Oh."

There was silence. Sylvia mentally counted from three, rolling her eyes when the boy spoke right after the countdown.

"Hey! We should tell a story to pass the time." He bounced excitedly, the plasma rifle in his hands nearly slipping out of his grasp.

It took all of her willpower not to groan. Charon didn't make a sound, but his eye twitched occasionally.

"Once, there was this dog. And his name was Holy Toldeo. He was really strong and brave! One day, he came across some Super Mutants-"

Charon sped up his pace to catch up with Sylvia.

Sticky rambled on. "And was he afraid? No! He laughed in the face of danger, Hahahaha! And then-"

Her bodyguard reached her. "Why are we doing this?"

His employer shot him a hard look. "You didn't care back at Little Lamplight. Besides, I didn't know he'd be so loud." She cringed as Sticky, once again, posed the question of:

"Are you lost?"

She hunched her shoulders, but shortly straightened them with a deep breath. "No. I'm following the map on my Pip-Boy."

"Oh okay. Because it looks like you don't know where you're going. How about another story? So once there was a man-"

"Why don't you just tell him to shut up?" Charon growled.

"Because...he was so sad to leave Little Lamplight. Being forced out of your own home sucks." That was definitely something she could sympathize with. "I couldn't crush his spirit, he's so happy now."

"I'll crush something of his if he doesn't-"

"Charon!"

"Hmph. How long until we can ditch him in Bigtown?"

The girl glanced down at her Pip-Boy before responding. "About ten more minutes. Think you can handle that without strangling the poor kid?"

"I'll try," he muttered darkly. Sticky was finishing up his latest story.

"And the man was so scared, he cried! Waaaaah waaaah! And all his friends laughed at him. The end!" Pleased with himself, he grinned and swung his gun around. "I'm so excited to see everyone! Do you think they'll like me? I hope it's better in Bigtown, everyone at Little Lamplight was a jerk."

"I wonder why," Charon snarled, earning a rough nudge from Sylvia.

"Probably 'cause they didn't like my stories. Ugh, everyone's a critic. Maybe at Bigtown they'll-" He gasped. "Look! There it is, we're so close! Yipee!" Cheering and waving his arms, he jogged over to the town's bridge.

"_Finally_," Sylvia breathed in relief. "We should go check this place out. Maybe they'll let us stay the night."

"I'd rather sleep in the Yao Guai tunnels," her companion remarked dryly.

"Fine, we don't _have_ to stay there, but I do want to trade. We're low on food."

Sticky eagerly skipped into town, startling the bridge guard at his post. The others approached more cautiously.

"Oh. Y-you're not Super Mutants. Good, you can come in then." The guard looked absolutely frazzled. His young face was riddled with signs of exhaustion and fear.

The Vault girl raised an eyebrow. "Super Mutants? You've had trouble with them?"

"Oh yes. They come by all the time and kidnap residents. Just this week they took Red and Shorty..." His eyes grew distant for a moment, before they snapped back to the northern horizon. "I've gotta keep watching. They might come back."

Charon looked to the guard, then to his employer, and shook his head. "Oh no, I know what you're thinking. You've got enough to do already."

"But Charon! They need help. Their friends are in trouble..."

"You would have to go into a Super Mutant encampment to rescue them. It's far too dangerous," he said resolutely.

"No worse than what we did for Reilly."

He paused, begrudgingly in agreement on that point. "What about the G.E.C.K.?"

"What about it? It can wait, and we need to get their friends back before it's too late."

Charon pinched the bridge of where his nose would be and sighed. "You're too nice for your own good, you know that?"

The girl grinned cheekily, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "And I'm sure karma will repay us for it! Come on, we've got a new mission."


	21. The Family Legacy

Hatred pulsating through every fiber of her being, she stared into the eyes of the man before her. Colonel Autumn, the reason for her father's suicide. He ruined _everything_. "You again?" He drawled, sounding almost bored. "Why am I not surprised?"

Sylvia thought back to Raven Rock, where she'd been held captive for days. She remembered the torture Autumn had put her through to get the code. Not that it worked. But the pain, that blade digging deep into her skin-it almost worked. She wanted revenge, wanted to _slaughter_ him.

_But I'm not that kind of person._ Slowly, she holstered her gun. "Give it up Autumn. The Enclave is over, and you know it. I'll give you a chance to walk away." She raised her eyebrows in question. "What do you have to fight for now that Eden is dead?"

The Colonel eyed her cautiously, until her words finally sunk in. He gave a weary sigh, as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. "Fine. I suppose I can trust you not to shoot me in the back, can't I?" Sarah's eyes tracked him as he shuffled away.

"Can't say I'm surprised you let him go," she told the Vault girl. "Now let's secure this room."

_It's over. We've won, we've actually won! _For the first time since her father died, Sylvia had hope again. Unfortunately, good things never last.

Li was saying something over the intercom. Sylvia heard her warn that the purifier had to be started immediately. The levels of radiation inside the chamber were lethal. Her heart sank to her feet.

"Damn it," Sarah shook her head. "So much for celebrating. "Whoever goes in there isn't coming out."

"I'll do it." The girl's voice was low, but strong. Sentinel Lyons nodded gravely. Charon, however, objected.

"Wait- you don't have to. I could do it, radiation doesn't hurt me..." he trailed off as his employer turned towards him.

"You know I do," she said quietly. Somehow, she was able to keep her voice steady.

"But why?" He didn't manage as well.

"It was my mother's dream, my father's work...the family legacy." The girl smiled sadly. "It has to be me. It's what's right." She noticed the look on his face, and spoke before he could move. "Stay here. That's an order, Charon."

It was the first order she'd ever given him. With a pang, he realized it would also be the last. Digging through her pack, the girl pulled out his contract and pressed it into his hands. "I'm sorry," she whispered. After a moment's hesitation, she leapt up and threw her arms around him, holding back tears.

Charon let out a sighing breath. "I'll miss you," he rasped. He clutched her tightly, thinking that maybe if he didn't let go she couldn't leave, couldn't walk away and leave him alone once again. Yet before he knew it, she was gone. The thick, glass door closed between them.

Sylvia could already feel the radiation. Flipping through her Pip-Boy, she located the last Project Purity tape her father had recorded. If she heard his voice, maybe she would be less afraid. She had to be as brave as he was. The girl took a step forward and pressed play.

_Well, here we are again. Project Purity and me. It's been close to twenty years since my last entry. __Since I left all of this behind to make a life for my daughter._

She stared at the control panel, willing her legs to work before they were immobilized.

_We spent all that time in Vault 101, tucked away from the rest of the world. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe, and that's all I could have hoped for._

Charon stood behind her with his hand on the glass. Was his face wet? Or was the air just shimmering from the radiation? Sarah stood back further, her head bowed respectfully.

_Now, my daughter is a grown woman. __Beautiful, intelligent, confident. Just like her mother._

Hands trembling, she entered the code and pressed enter. 216. Her mother's favorite bible passage.

_And as hard as it was to admit it, she doesn't need her daddy anymore._

The world was flickering in and out. She thought she saw her father standing beside her. He was smiling. Somewhere far away, someone was calling her name. They sounded scared. _Please don't be afraid. I'm not anymore..._

And it all went dark.

* * *

It wasn't dark forever. Blinding light flashed before her, making her cringe and shut her eyes. "What the hell..." Excited voices babbled, but her hazy mind couldn't recognize whose they were. Sylvia tried to sit up, sending her head into a whirl.

"Slowly, now. My, you're finally awake!"

She blinked. "Elder Lyons?"

"Ah, good. Your memory hasn't been impaired. Well, hopefully not. You and Sarah have been out for a while now, after that explosion-"

"The Purifier..." She gasped. "What explosion? What happened to Sarah?"

Lyons chuckled. "The same thing that happened to you. You've been comatose for two weeks, the explosion knocked you both unconscious. My daughter has yet to wake, but your recovery gives me hope for hers." His voice took on a reverent tone. "Thanks to your sacrifice, the Purifier is running at full capacity. The Enclave forces have dispersed, but still exist throughout the Wasteland. We would appreciate your help in eliminating-"

The girl's eyes grew wide. "Wait! Charon!"

"Your, er...friend?" Lyons asked. "He's fine. We allowed him to stay at the Citadel during your recovery."

"Then where is he?" The Elder was unsettled, she was nearly frantic.

"Well, our doctors were examining you shortly before you woke up. We had him wait in the hallway."

Sylvia scrambled out of bed, only to stumble to the floor with a flump. "Damn it. Useless legs..." She pulled herself up and limped out the door. Charon stood outside, leaned against the wall and staring at the floor pensively. He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice the door open. Sylvia felt her heart clench at the look on his face.

"...hey." His head snapped up. The girl grinned like a fool, happy to see his pained expression vanish.

Charon froze, before lifting her off the ground into his arms. No words were needed, and he didn't think he'd be able to speak anyway. Sylvia laughed and hugged back, leaning her face into the crook of his neck. She didn't even react when a nearby Knight snorted in disdain. Nothing else mattered.

She knew her father would be proud of her.


End file.
